Alban continued. "We were able to persuade Adam to work with some good linguists."
"Wait", Hannes interrupted, "You discover an alien creature, have no problems with it, invite it on a short vacation and then bring it back again?
"We’ll come to this point later," Alban asked. "It'll all work out. I'd like to tell you something about these creatures first. Well, where was I? The linguists, yes. Adam sat down with the linguists and we managed to immerse ourselves a little in the language of this species. Only very rudimentary. Adam had great pleasure at these meetings. But something much more important has happened, I will now say this. Adam allowed us to put him in a CT scanner. That was 1973. The devices were not yet particularly good, no comparison to the today's, but we could study the anatomy of these beings for the first time, as far as it was possible with the bad photographs. Unfortunately, Adam refused a second scan. He explained to the linguists why he didn't want a second scan."
"And?" Hannes asked, "Why didn't he want a second scan?"
"Well", Sergej said, "this has to do with the reason for the presence of these beings here on earth. After we had understood the explanation to some extent, it was also understandable for us and we refrained from forcing him, which would not have been so easy."
"Go on," Hannes said.
Sergej looked at Alban, who looked back for a long time and then nodded.
Sergej leaned forward.
"This will surprise you now."
Hannes waved his hand. "I don't think so."
"Hannes, I think you like this planet here pretty much, don't you?"
"Get to the point," Hannes demanded.
"We humans think this planet is good. It's our home. Almost all other beings don't like this planet. They think it’s terrible here."
Hannes tilted his head, grabbed his cup.
Sergej took a breath to continue, and Alban cut him off.
"Look, here's the thing: There is not only this species here, but there are also about 20 different species, which are here sometimes more, sometimes less often. With many, we get along well, with some less. But almost all species don't like flying here. The consensus is that we humans are not able to develop beyond a certain stage. We kill each other, we drive the planet with full force against the wall, we value the accumulation of personal possessions, we have no respect for life. It's all steamed up to the limit. But that's the essence. Whoever comes here has to go here, nobody wants to come here voluntarily. There's only one way to get here. These are the so-called big ones. The big ones like to hunt."
"Who are they hunting?" asked Hannes, who thought he knew the answer.
"Renegades," Sergej said, "dissenters, dissidents, beings who are no longer so sure of their government or board and have dissenting political or social opinions."
"Renegades?" Hannes asked.
"Yes", Sergej said, "These creatures are transported here, and the big ones are hunting them. It's a kind of sport for them."
"And no one will notice? In the days of NSA and all that?". Hannes shook his head in disbelief.
"We're all realizing that. At least the ones it concerns. There's some kind of deal between the big guys and another nation. The word deal says a lot, doesn't it?"
Hannes nodded.
"Well, the deal is that the big guys have some kind of arena where they can hunt. There's technology for that. The big ones are very far in technological development. The arena is among other things Germany. Dense forests, inaccessible terrain, ideal for hunting with friends. The participating entities, whether hunted or hunter, must abide by the rules of the game. One of the rules is that the borders with neighboring countries must not be crossed."
Hannes snorted. "Bullshit!"
"The hunted have the opportunity to flee if they succeed in reaching a certain spot. Some kind of portal. Then the hunt is over. Otherwise, the victim will continue to be hunted until he is hunted down. And don't be surprised. Germany is a coveted arena. Where else is the population so anxious, where do so few weapons exist?"
"There's a lot of guns here," Hannes replied.
"Yes, sure," Sergej said, "but there are few weapons that can be used, there are few people who can handle them, and there is no shooting reflex. Even under the greatest threat, where one would actually use a weapon according to common sense, one is more afraid of the consequences than of the actual threat. Here you close the window, close the curtain and lock the door. UFOs and all that shit don't exist, so what I'm seeing isn't true either. Germany is a coveted arena."
Hannes looked at both of them with big eyes.
Alban continued. "Apart from that, there is an interesting rule for hunting which must be obeyed to by those involved. If someone gives shelter to a hunted person, the hunt is paused. That's what happened to Adam. Another rule says that if the person no longer gives shelter to the hunted entity, the hunt continues. Happened to Adam. He drank, he beat his mother, she put him in front of the door and shortly afterwards he was killed. Done in Russia in the 1970s. Have you been able to follow me all this way?"
Hannes nodded. "That's fine, as long as Ibby stays with me, she's safe."
"Right," Sergej said, "that's undisputed. Unfortunately, there was a breakdown in the transport, which you are aware of. And on the other hand, this being, which you gave shelter, is a peculiarity. Therefore, the big ones attach great importance to the fact that the hunt can continue. You've already threatened to stop the technology transfer. It doesn't concern us, I can tell you that much, but the other nation is in a tight spot in the relationship. That's why, to our regret, you were kidnapped. As far as we know, you haven't had a pleasant time either."
Hannes nodded. "But I can hardly remember. All I know it was painful. But I don't really remember."
Sergej leaned back into his armchair, smiling contentedly.
"We knew pretty quickly where they were. The liberation action was a little more difficult. But we got here just in time. We got you out of there, put you on a plane, and then shipped you here to the hospital. There we have restored you."
"Which was a challenge, by the way," Alban interfered. "You were pretty messed up."
"We took the opportunity of trying out new techniques to completely restore you, Hannes," Sergej added. "We treated all the fractures, removed the spleen, then there were several minor fractures in your face, but we're especially proud that we were able to erase your pain memory without any problems." He folded his hands contentedly in front of his stomach.
"What about Ibby now?" Hannes wanted to know.
"Ah yes, we wanted to tell you something about the E. B. E.", Alban said and put on his jacket again. "There are a few special things you should know before we put you in the car and take you to Cologne."
Hannes looked at Sergej, who was also getting ready to put on his jacket again.
"The E.B.E. is, for us at least, quite a mystery," Alban continued. "We know very little. Hannes, do you know a living being that's not able to eat solid food like we do? A being that needs to bring digestive juices to or into its food in order for the food to be predigested? Do you know a creature that breathes through breathing holes instead of mouth and nose?"
Hannes shook his head, although a hunch appeared in him and caused goosebumps.
"After analyzing Adam's computer tomography, we know that this species has two organs responsible for blood circulation. They're like tube hearts, left and right in the chest. We know that the mouthparts are not designed to absorb solid food. However, there are two teeth in the oral cavity. I'd call it teeth you can catch something with. We suspect they're poison fangs. We also know that these beings have a completely different way of moving their limbs. Not muscles in our sense, but a kind of hydraulic system. That makes them very strong."
Alban was waiting for Hanne's reaction. He had turned pale but said nothing.
Sergej interfered. "In addition, this species has a sophisticated joint system on the bones. Extremely mobile. Under certain circumstances even, a
t least as we interpreted the recordings, their bones can simply dislocate at the joints. Very interesting. And as far as reproduction goes, this is also a peculiarity that we do not fully understand. It looks like Adam told us that the penis is cut off during sexual intercourse." Alban and Sergej laughed out loud. "Every man's nightmare, right?"
Hannes didn't say anything.
"We suspect that the male actually transports the eggs in his limb, the female, if you want to put it that way, is actually the male, because something happens in the uterus." Sergej made two quotation marks in the air. "If that's what you want to call this organ. The rest of the limb is in the vagina ...", again two quotes, "decomposed or dissolved and the female fertilized with sperm. Strangely enough, the fertilized egg then remains with the female and is carried out and born."
"And lactate, as far as we understood Adam. So, the male with a limb is actually the female because it produces the eggs. And if the female is a female by anatomy, it is male because it produces the semen. Everything's very strange. But we don't know if it's true or not. We didn't cut Adam open. But there are other peculiarities. These creatures have a kind of a second anus. Have you checked the E.B.E.?"
Hannes had to clear his throat before he could answer. "Yes, right after she was more or less fit again."
"That's normal. The mother told me the same thing. We don't know why these creatures do that. Whatever. The second anus is not an anus. It's a gland. Do you know what the species can secrete there?"
Hannes felt like packed in cotton wool, shook his head.
"Well, then we'll tell you," grinned Alban.
Hannes didn't want to know.
"These beings can secrete a kind of silken thread there. The thread is sticky and of an enormous firmness. He is said to have other qualities as well. Something to help with wound care in case one of the creatures is injured."
Hannes swallowed.
"Hannes, did you have sex with this being?"
Hannes didn't know what to say, he had to answer several times, his voice was busy.
"Yes, once."
Alban nodded. "My dear friend, I want you to know that you screwed a male alien spider."
Hannes froze. "Excuse me?"
"At least according to our analysis. But please, take a good look. A respiratory system over tracheas, external digestion, possibly poison fangs, very strong, very fast, but then, and this is our main argument, the spinning gland. We don't want to talk about intelligence here. A highly intelligent alien life form with the inner anatomy of a disgusting crawling animal."
"What about intelligence?" Hannes wanted to know.
"There's not much we can say. We know Adam was very intelligent. He looked at the files of a mathematician who was on the investigation team. Adam had to wait for an investigation, and the mathematician was also in the waiting room. He didn't feel well, ignored Adam, but Adam came to him and asked him if he can have a look at the documents. Finally, our scientist gave him what he wanted. Do you know what happened then?"
Hannes shook his head, although that was a rhetorical question. "No, I don't."
Sergej grinned. "Our scientist has dealt with Riehmann's conjecture, a problem of mathematics that is still unsolved today. If you solve it, you don't have to wait for a call from Stockholm. You can call them yourself. Do you know the assumption?"
Hannes had to think for a moment. "Does this have anything to do with prime numbers?"
"Exactly. Do you know what Adam did? He sat at the table for half an hour and solved the problem on half a letter sized page. We had the evidence checked out. It seems to be true."
"It's just another way of life," said Hannes, who had to hold on to the chair. "If we approach these beings with our standards, it won’t work."
"That may be," Sergej replied, stepping up to Hannes and pulling him out of the room, "but there's an argument as well."
Hannes looked at him. Alban grabbed Hanne's other arm. "You know, Hannes, what spiders do?"
"They eat vermin, catch flies. I once read that without spiders, we'd have a real insect problem."
"This is true," Sergej said, "so if we agree that spiders, here on earth, catch vermin ...", he gurgled amused, "then we can also transfer this to extraterrestrial spiders. Ask yourself why your girlfriend's being hunted. Ask yourself if your girlfriend may not have hunted the wrong vermin. Or, more simply, if she hasn't perhaps kicked over the traces? Maybe it's possible."
They reached the exit of the building. Outdoors Hannes felt much better. It was a clear sunny day. It wasn't that cold anymore. Alban handed Hannes a parcel. "Your things. Wallet, keys, everything you had on you. It's all there." Hannes opened it and put it in his pocket.
Sergej whistled and a car approached. They got in and left the compound. It was a side wing of the University Hospital of Cologne. Less than five minutes to Gingerbread Street.
Hannes felt like he was wrapped in cotton. The houses flashed past him and he couldn't think clearly. He was afraid to come home and see Ibby. Everything was so far away. He looked out of the car window, saw the people on the sidewalk, but he did not notice them.
When the car reached Gingerbread Street, it stopped at some distance from Hannes' apartment. The three men got out. Hannes stood there in anxious anticipation, looked up at the apartment. He didn't notice Alban stepping next to him. A strong blow on the shoulder and Hannes jerked together. Like a pinprick, the pain was twitching through his shoulder. Alban made an embarrassed face. "Excuse me, I haven't thought about the shoulder. But doesn’t matter. You're gonna make it, Hannes. Just think about whether it is possible to live as closely together with an extraterrestrial creature as they do in the long run. A being that we know is dangerous and that we know has a very high basic aggressiveness. Just think about it."
He handed Hannes a business card with his name, a telephone number and the name of an import-export company that probably didn't exist.
Hannes took the card and put it away lost in thought.
"In any case, we will help you to make a decision," Sergej added.
Alban and Sergej turned around, wanted to get into the car, then Alban turned around again to Hannes.
"Rumor has it that this species can speak very well. It's hard to understand, but it's supposed to work. Give it a try!"
With this said the two got in their car and left Hannes standing there.
In Hannes, it was boiling. He admitted to himself that he was afraid. Slowly he walked towards the front door. He opened the front door and hesitantly climbed the stairs to his apartment.
Conversations III
Hannes fiddled the key out of his pocket and wanted to unlock it. However, the key could not be inserted into the lock, they had probably exchanged the cylinder. Hannes was standing in front of his apartment door, unhappily, when suddenly the door was torn open and Hannes looked into the muzzle of a rifle. Helge looked at him over the rifle.
"Well, look," he said, "There you are."
"Let me in," Hannes demanded.
"Why? I thought you wrote you weren't coming back. That you decided to start a new life."
"I didn't write anything," Hannes replied, "Not a single letter, not a single e-mail. Let me in now."
Helge lowered the rifle but stood in the hallway and blocked Hannes' path. Hannes didn't have the strength to push past him. "Your girlfriend's totally done. But she doesn't believe the letters are from you either."
"Let me in," Hannes said, "I have something to tell."
Helge stood in the hallway for a moment and blocked the entrance, then he stepped aside humming. Hannes stepped into the hallway and went to the kitchen. He opened the door and saw Ibby in jeans and sweater standing at the window and was looking out. She turned around, saw Hannes and ran to him, her arms outstretched, with big eyes, a strange sound coming out of her throat, a kind of cheer. She had reached Hannes, threw the arms around his neck, but Hannes receded a little and, he couldn't help it, turned his head a little to the side. Ibby didn
't fight it, she put kisses on his cheek and face. After a moment, she realized what was going on. She let go of Hannes and took a step back. With big eyes, she looked at Hannes looking at the floor, embarrassed, insecure, with a knotted stomach.
He didn't know what to say or do, he stood there helpless. Ibby made questioning noises, sat down at the table. Hannes looked at her, then at Helge, who had meanwhile stored his rifle in a suitcase.
"I think," Helge said, "this isn't the homecoming scene Ibby had in mind. What's the matter, man?"
Hannes took off his jacket and hung it over the back of the chair, sat down.
"I'm done. Totally done," said Hannes, "it's all too much."
Ibby looked at Helge, shrugging his shoulders. "Show him the letters."
Ibby got up and came back with a small stack of envelopes. Hannes looked at the envelopes. First French stamps, then Spanish, then Tunisian. Hannes pulled out one paper and read, then the next one. The content of the short letters was always almost the same: Dear Ibby, don't take it amiss, but I have decided on a new life, you are too exhausting for me, blablaba.
"I didn't write those letters."
Helge sat down. "And the handwriting? It's yours, isn't it?"
Hannes took a closer look at the paper. "Looks like it. Doesn't mean anything. I didn't write any of those letters." He threw the letters on the table. "Not one." He looked at Ibby. "I couldn't write either. I spent four weeks in Algeria. I..."
Helge came in between. "Watch, Hannes. I am leaving for an hour walk, shopping, drinking beer and visit the cathedral. I'm gonna be gone an hour, and you two can talk. After that, we can talk about what to do next."
With these words Helge stood up, dressed and left the apartment.
E.B.E. 21- the Hunt Page 27